Rail-joint.



E. P. ODELL.

RAIL JOINT.

lllll 4,"

Witnesses 'A l 0MM/Maig@ v l Attorneys UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD F. ODELL, OF MOKINNEY, TEXAS.

RAIL-JOINT.

Application filed June 20, 1912.

To au whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD F. ODELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at McKinney, in the county of Collin and State of Texas, haveinvented a new and useful Rail-Joint, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to rail joints, one of its objects being toprovide a joint made up of lapping rail ends, means being combinedtherewith whereby sagging o-f the joint and consequent pounding ofwheels passing thereover, is prevented.

A further object is to provide a novel form of spline for preventingeither of the members of the joint from sagging relative to the othermember, said spline having means combined therewith whereby creeping ofthe rails is prevented.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understoodthat changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within thescope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention hasbeen shown.

In said drawings :Y-Figure 1 is a view partly in plan and partly insection of a joint constructed in accordance with the present invention.Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one end of a rail forming part of thejoint. Fig. 3 is a section on line A-B Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a perspectiveview of the spline.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference C and D constitutetwo rails each of which is provided at one end with a beveled face lfrom which the ball and the base flange of the rail are removed on oneside, the opposed portion of the rail being preferably thickened, asshown at 2. A groove or channel 3 is formed longitudinally within thebeveled face of each rail and is of a width substantially equal to theheight of the web of the rail. The beveled ends of the meeting portionsof two adjoining rails are oppositely disposed so as to lap with theirbeveled faces in Contact and with the grooves or channels 3 registering.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 28, 1913.

Serial No. 704,778.

These channels receive a spline 4 which fits snugly therein and has itsend portions deflected so as to fit snugly against the sides of the websof the rails at points remote from the' beveled faces. F langes 5extend. from the ends 6 of the spline and are preferably formed withnotches 7 or the like for the reception of spikes or other securingmeans. Openings 8 extend transversely through the spline and registerwith corresponding openings 9 formed in the end portions of the rails.These openings are designed to receive bolts l() which, if desired, maybe provided with suitable locks such as shown generally at l1.

Avrivet 12 may be extended through t-he lapping portions of the railsand through the spline, this rivet constituting a bond whereby the jointis rendered suitable for use along electric railways or where elec tricblock signals are employed.

It will be apparent that, by arranging the spline 4 within the channels3, sagging of one rail end independently of the other rail end of thejoint is prevented and there is therefore, no danger of wheels poundingwhile passing over the oint. Furthermore, as the ends of the spline aredeflected as shown at 6, the spline cannot shift longitudinally withinthe channels 3. Thus, by fastening the flanges 5 to the ties or otherrail supporting elements, the rails will not only be prevented fromsagging by the spline 4 but will also be held against creepinglongitudinally.

What is claimed is 1. A rail joint comprising lapping rails havingbeveled contacting faces, there being registering grooves in said faces,a spline removably mounted in the grooves, and means for securing theend portions of the spline to a rail supporting structure.

2. A rail joint including lapped rails having beveled contacting faces,there being registering longitudinal grooves in said faces, a splinefitted within the grooves and having its end portions bearing againstthe webs of the rails and beyond the inclined faces, and means forsecuring the ends of the spline to the rail supporting elements.

3. A rail joint including lapped rails having beveled contacting faces,there being registering longitudinal grooves Within said faces, a splinedetachably fitted within the grooves and having its ends deflected andfitting snugly against the sides of the webs of the rails at pointsbeyond the beveled faces, and fastener engaging portions eX- tendinglaterally from said ends and beyond the rails.

4:. A rail joint including lapped rails having beveled contacting faces,there being registering longitudinal grooves Within said faces, a splineremovably seated Within the grooves, and anges extending laterally fromthe ends of the spline for engagement by rail fastening means.

5. A rail joint including lapped rails having beveled contacting faces,there being registering longitudinal grooves Within said l faces, aspline removably seated Within the grooves, flanges extending laterallyfrom the ends of the spline for engagement by rail fastening means, andmeans for securing the lapped portions of the rails and the splinetogether.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

EDI/VARD F. ODELL.

Witnesses:

WM. BACON, J. S. KELLY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

